44th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (44 AA Bde) was an air defence formation of Britain's Territorial Army (TA). Formed in 1938, it was responsible for protecting

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and later the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It was reformed postwar under a new title, and continued until 1955.

Origin

With the expansion of Britain's Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences in the late 1930s, new formations were created to command the growing number of

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) AA gun and searchlight (S/L) units. 44th AA Brigade was raised on 29 September 1938 at

. It formed part of 4th AA Division, which was responsible for defending North West England. The first brigade commander (appointed 22 October 1938) was

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Gerald Rickards, DSO, MC.Frederick, pp. 1050–1.AA Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.
/ref>
/ref>Farndale, Annex J.Robert Palmer, ''A Concise History of Anti-Aircraft Command (History and Personnel)'' at British Military History.
/ref>

Mobilisation

At the time the brigade was formed, the TA's AA units were in a state of mobilisation because of the

Munich crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

, although they were soon stood down. In February 1939 the TA's AA defences came under the control of a new

Anti-Aircraft Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

. In June, as international tensions grew in the run-up to the

, a partial mobilisation of AA Command was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA gun and searchlight positions. AA Command mobilised fully on 24 August, ahead of the official declaration of war on 3 September.

Order of Battle 1939–40

The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H8917

The composition of the brigade upon mobilisation in August 1939 was as follows:44 AA Bde War Diary, 1939–41, The National Archives (TNA), Kew file WO 166/2282. * 65th (The Manchester Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA) – ''Heavy AA (HAA) unit formed at

Hulme Hulme () is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England, immediately south of Manchester city centre. It has a significant industrial heritage. Historically in Lancashire, the name Hulme is derived from the Old Norse word ...

in 1936 by conversion of 6th/7th Battalion

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

''Litchfield, p. 131. ** HQ, 181st, 182nd, 183rd and 192nd AA Batteries, RA * 81st Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (TA) – ''HAA unit formed at Stockport and Stalybridge in 1938 by conversion of 60th (6th Cheshire and Shropshire) Medium Brigade, RA'' ** HQ, 253, 254, 255 (Cheshire) AA Batteries, RA * 80th Independent Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RA – ''new Light AA (LAA) unit'' * 39th (The Lancashire Fusiliers) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA) – ''Searchlight (S/L) unit formed at

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

in 1936 by conversion of 7th Bn

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

''Litchfield, p. 133. ** HQ, 354th, 355th, 356th and 357th AA Companies, RE * 62nd (The Loyals) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA) – ''S/L unit formed at Preston (later

Lytham Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the 2011 census was 42,954. The town is almost contiguous with ...

) in 1936 by conversion of 4th Bn

The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire R ...

'' ** HQ, 435th, 436th and 437th S/L Btys, RA * 71st (East Lancashire) Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA) – ''new S/L unit raised in Manchester in 1938''Litchfield, p. 135. ** HQ, 462nd, 463rd and 464th S/L Btys, RA * 44th AA Brigade Company, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) (TA)

Phoney War

When the code word to mobilise was issued on 24 August, 65th AA Rgt was returning from a practice camp at Burrowhead in Scotland and went straight to its war stations. 39th S/L Bn and one battery of 62nd S/L Bn had transport standing by and were able to return immediately from their couverture deployment with 2 AA Division in

East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to th ...

to man their war stations. 81st AA Regiment manned two HAA battery sites and also deployed Lewis guns as LAA cover for the Vital Point (VP) of the

Metropolitan-Vickers Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...

factory at

Trafford Park Trafford Park is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, opposite Salford Quays on the southern side of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Manchester city centre and north of Stretford. Until the l ...

. 80th LAA Bty and 71st S/L Rgt also manned VPs. By midnight the brigade was disposed as follows: HAA guns * 65th AA Rgt ** 181 Bty – 2 x 3-inch ** 183 Bty – 4 x static 3.7-inch ** 196 Bty – 2 x 3-inch * 81st AA Rgt ** 253 Bty – 2 x 3-inch ** 254 Bty – 4 x 3-inch LAA guns * 80th LAA Bty – 1 x

Bofors 40 mm gun Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

and 12 x Lewis guns at

Kearsley Power Station Kearsley Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Stoneclough, near Kearsley, Bolton, England. It was designed in 1927 by Dr H.F. Parshall for the Lancashire Electric Power Company. The original installation was known as Kearsley 'A', c ...

* 81st HAA Rgt – 15 x Lewis guns at Metropolitan-Vickers * 71st S/L Rgt – 8 x Lewis guns at the

Clayton Aniline Company The Clayton Aniline Company Ltd. was a British manufacturer of dyestuffs, founded in 1876 by Charles Dreyfus in Clayton, Manchester. Early history Charles Dreyfus was a French emigrant chemist and entrepreneur, who founded the Clayton Aniline Co ...

S/Ls * 71st S/L Rgt – 4 x lights In the next 24 hours more HAA gun sites were reported ready for action, around 60 S/Ls were deployed and the number of Lewis guns at VPs was increased, with 39th S/L Bttn guarding the Manchester Ship Canal, Salford docks and

Barton Power Station Barton Power Station was a Fossil fuel power plant, coal-fired power station on the Bridgewater Canal in Trafford Park, near Eccles, Greater Manchester, Eccles, Lancashire, England. History The construction of the station began in 1920 and ope ...

. In addition, the women of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

(ATS) companies were taking over their duties with the regiments. On 1 November the brigade was reorganised, with 39th and 71st S/L Rgts transferring to the command of 53rd Light AA Bde covering the

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

area, followed shortly afterwards by 62nd S/L Rgt. Simultaneously, 21st (69, 136 & 143 Btys at Liverpool)21 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> and its newly formed offshoot 41st (133, 134 & 135 Btys)Farndale, Annex M. LAA Rgts transferred from 53rd LAA Bde and took over command of the LAA batteries manning VPs in 44 AA Bde's area, (42, 82 and 129 Btys), while 80th LAA Bty ceased to be an independent unit and came under 21st LAA Rgt. The commander of 44th AA Bde was named AA Defence Commander (AADC) for the Manchester Gun Zone. New VPs taken over by the brigade included ICI's

Lostock Gralam Lostock Gralam is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England, east of Northwich. The civil parish also includes the small hamlet of Lostock Green. Hulse is the leading mayor and authority of the town, as of 2022. ...

works and Crewe Junction (136 LAA Bty), Baxter's respirator factory at Leyland (133 LAA Bty), Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley, (133 & 135 LAA Btys), Carlisle Junction (134 LAA Bty) and de Havilland's Lostock works (181 AA Bty, later 253 AA Bty). Despite a number of alerts, there were no enemy air raids in the brigade's area for some time. In November, the brigade received 4.5-inch HAA guns to re-equip three of its four-gun HAA sites, and 436 S/L Bty relieved 134 LAA Bty so that it could be sent to train on the Vickers MkVIII 'pom-pom' gun. In June 1940 the AA regiments were redesignated 'HAA' to distinguish them from the growing number of LAA units, while in August all the RE AA battalions and infantry battalions converted to S/L duties became Searchlight Regiments of the RA.

Battle of Britain and Blitz

Most of the air raids in 4 AA Division's area during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

were in the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

or over the

. A few bombs fell on Manchester and Crewe on 27/28 August, and across East Lancashire the following night. Night raids increased during the autumn as the Battle of Britain was followed by

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. 65th (Manchester Regiment) HAA Rgt moved to the Orkney & Shetland Defence Force (OSDEF) in the first week of October 1940, being replaced by 70th (3rd West Lancashire) HAA Rgt from 33 (Western) AA Bde.Routledge, Table LXV, pp. 396–7.70 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> Some examples of Gun-laying Mk I radar began to arrive for the HAA batteries,

s appeared in increasing numbers for the LAA regiments, and the AA divisions formed units equipped with

Z Battery A Z Battery was a short range anti-aircraft weapon system, launching diameter rockets from ground-based single and multiple launchers, for the air defence of Great Britain in the Second World War. The rocket motors were later adapted with a ...

rocket projectiles.Pile's despatch.
/ref> In November 1940 the expansion of AA Command led to the creation of new AA Divisions. 44 AA Brigade remained in 4 AA Division and was responsible for Manchester and the surrounding area, including the shipyards of

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of B ...

, but Brigadier Rickards was promoted to command the new 12 AA Division from 15 November. He was succeeded in command of 44 AA Bde by Lt-Col Erroll Tremlett, a former

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

er who had distinguished himself commanding 54th ( Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) LAA Rgt at the Dunkirk evacuation, where his guns had defended the

Mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

and protected the embarkation of many of the troops.Tremlett at Generals of World War II
/ref>

Manchester Blitz

Air Raid Damage in Britain- Manchester HU49833

The cities of NW England were heavily bombed during the winter of 1940–41 (the

Liverpool Blitz The Liverpool Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of the English city of Liverpool and its surrounding area, during the Second World War by the German ''Luftwaffe''. Liverpool was the most heavily bombed area of the country, outside Lo ...

and

Manchester Blitz The Manchester Blitz (also known as the Christmas Blitz) was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the German ''Luftwaffe''. It was one of three major raids o ...

). On the night of 21/22 November the Manchester guns engaged raiders on their way to and from Liverpool, and on the following two nights it was Manchester's turn to be hit. Raids on Manchester peaked at Christmas.Collier, Appendix XXX.
/ref> The Royal Artillery's historian considered that during these attacks on British cities 'the actions fought y the AA batterieswere as violent, dangerous and prolonged as any in the field'. 'On an HAA 4.5-inch position of 44th AA Brigade in Manchester, the power rammer on one gun failed. One Gunner loaded 127 of the [] rounds himself in eleven hours of action, despite injuries to his fingers'.

Order of Battle 1940–41

During the winter of 1940–41, the composition of 44 AA Bde was as follows:Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 27: AA Command, 12 May 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/79

* 70th (3rd West Lancashire) HAA Rgt ** 211, 212, 216 HAA Btys – ''at Manchester'' ** 309 HAA Bty – ''joined by January, left by August 1941'' ** 245 HAA Bty – ''attached from 78th HAA Rgt November 1940'' * 98th HAA Rgt – ''joined by January 1941'' ** 300, 301, 320 HAA Btys – ''Manchester suburbs'' ** 399 HAA Bty – ''joined by May 1941'' * 106th HAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed August 1940;Farndale, Annex M. to 11 AA Division by January 1941'' ** 331 HAA Bty – ''at Barrow'' ** 332 HAA Bty – ''at Crewe'' * 115th HAA Rgt – ''new regiment formed November 1940, joined by January 1941'' ** 361 HAA Bty – ''at Blackpool'' ** 365 HAA Bty – ''joined by May 1941'' ** 367 HAA Bty – ''at Barrow'' * 21st LAA Rgt ** 69 LAA Bty – ''VPs at Preston'' ** 80 LAA Bty – ''VPs at Leyland'' ** 136 LAA Bty – ''VPs at Barrow'' * 41st LAA Rgt – ''to 7 AA Division 1 March 1941'' ** 133 LAA Bty – ''VPs at Carlisle'' ** 134 LAA Bty – ''VPs at

Maryport Maryport is a town and civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, historically in Cumberland. The town is situated just outside the Lake District National Park, at the northern end of the former Cumberland Coalfield. Location ...

'' ** 143 LAA Bty – ''VPs at

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was histori ...

'' * 54th (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) LAA Rgt – ''returned from Dunkirk; left AA Command 10 March 1941 and joined the Support Group of 9th Armoured Division''54 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> ** 160 LAA Bty – ''VPs at

Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...

'' ** 161 LAA Bty – ''VPs at Ringway, de Havilland works Lostock,

Irlam Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salfo ...

Locks'' ** 162 LAA Bty – ''VPs at

Winnington Winnington is a small, mainly residential area of the town of Northwich in Cheshire, England. Industry Winnington is the home to Brunner Mond UK chemical works, where soda ash is created. Polythene, the material used in many plastic items (e.g ...

, ICI Lostock,

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

Crewe'' * 63rd LAA Rgt – '' new unit formed October 1940; to 11 AA Division by May 1941'' ** 189, 190 LAA Btys – ''at Preston'' * 65th LAA Rgt – '' new unit formed November 1940; joined by January 1941''65 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> ** 194 LAA By – ''VP at

English Electric Company N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail) The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...

, Preston'' ** 195 LAA Bty – ''VPs at

Heysham Heysham ( ) is a coastal town in Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations. Demography Administratively, Heysham is part of th ...

'' ** 196 LAA Bty – ''VPs at Blackpool'' * 76th LAA Rgt – '' new unit formed February 1941;76 LAA Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> joined by May 1941'' ** 226, 227, 228 LAA Btys * 4th AA 'Z' Regt – ''formed September 1940'' ** 108 'Z' Bty – ''at Barrow'' ** 122 'Z' Bty – ''at Accrington'' ** 135 'Z' Bty – ''at Manchester''

Mid-War

The Blitz is generally held to have ended on 16 May 1941. By now the HAA sites had the advantage of GL Mk I* radar with an elevation finding (E/F or 'Effie') attachment to supplement searchlights. At this stage of the war, experienced units were being posted away to train for service overseas. This led to a continual turnover of units, which accelerated with the preparations for the invasion of North Africa ( Operation Torch) in late 1942 and the need to transfer units to counter the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

's'' ''

Baedeker Blitz The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of aerial attacks in April and May 1942 by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on English cities during the Second World War. The name derives from Baedeker, a series of German tourist guide books, inclu ...

'' and hit-and-run attacks on the South Coast. However, newly formed units continued to join AA Command, the HAA and support units increasingly becoming 'Mixed' units, indicating that women of the ATS were fully integrated into them. Members of the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

(HG) also provided manpower, particularly for 'Z' Batteries.Routledge, pp. 398–404. Brigadier Tremlett was promoted to command 10 AA Division from 14 February 1942, and was succeeded at 44 AA Bde by Brig R.E. Kane, OBE, MC.44 AA Bde War Diary, 1942, TNA file WO 166/7401.

Order of Battle 1941–42

During this period the brigade was composed as follows: * 58th (Kent) HAA Rgt – ''joined February, left to join First Army for Operation Torch May 1942''Joslen, p. 485.Routledge, Table XXX, p. 188. ** 207, 208, 264 HAA Btys ** 434 HAA Bty – ''attached from 70 HAA Rgt February, left April 1942'' * 62nd (Northumbrian) HAA Rgt – ''temporarily attached July 1942 while under

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

(WO) Control; later to Operation Torch'' ** 172, 173, 266 HAA Btys * 70th HAA Rgt – ''mobilised and embarked for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

February 1942'' ** 211, 212, 216 Btys ** 309 Bty – ''left by August 1941'' ** 434 Bty – ''new battery joined by August 1941'' * 81st HAA Rgt – ''rejoined from OSDEF, June 1941; to new 70 AA Bde summer 1941 ** 253, 254, 255, 416 Btys * 93rd HAA Rgt – ''from 7 AA Division July, left for

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

August 1942'' ** 267, 288, 289, 290 HAA Btys * 98th HAA Rgt – ''to 8 AA Division May 1942'' ** 300, 301, 320, 399 Btys * 115th HAA Rgt – ''to OSDEF June 1941'' ** 361, 365, 367 HAA Btys * 149th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed February 1942'' ** 506, 507, 512, 581 (M) HAA Btys * 151st (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed February, joined April, left July 1942'' ** 510, 511, 514, 516 (M) HAA Btys ** 290 HAA Bty – ''attached from 93rd HAA Rgt'' ** 371 HAA Bty – ''attached from 117th HAA Rgt'' * 169th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''new unit formed August 1942'' ** 566, 571, 576, 578 (M) HAA Btys * 21st LAA Rgt – ''embarked for Middle East December 1941, diverted to Far East and captured in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

March 1942'' ** 69, 80, 136 Btys * 39th LAA Rgt – ''joined by August 1941; to 53 AA Bde autumn; rejoined December 1941; to 53 AA Bde July 1942'' ** 110, 111, 240 Btys ** 48 LAA Bty – ''attached from 42nd LAA Rgt August 1941'' * 65th LAA Rgt – ''left for

Malta Command Malta Command was an independent command of the British Army. It commanded all army units involved in the defence of Malta. Once mobilised the Command deployed its headquarters to underground hardened shelters and its combat units ...

1941'' ** 194, 195, 196 Btys * 76th LAA Rgt – ''to 70 AA Bde summer 1941'' ** 226, 227, 228 Btys * 88th LAA Rgt – ''new unit formed October 1941, joined by February 1942'' ** 178, 289, 293 LAA Btys ** 477 LAA Bty – ''detached to 7 AA Division until May 1942'' * 13th AA 'Z' Rgt – ''4th AA 'Z' Rgt redesignated by August 1941'' ** 108, 122 'Z' Btys ** 135 'Z' Bty – ''left by February 1942'' ** 131, 184, 188 'Z' Btys – ''joined by February 1942'' ** 203, 204, 205 'Z' Btys – ''joined September 1942'' * 44 AA Brigade Signal Office Mixed Sub-Section, Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) – ''part of No 2 Company, 4 AA Division Mixed Signal Unit''

Later war

At the end of September 1942, AA Command disbanded the AA Corps and Divisions and replaced them with new AA Groups, whose areas of responsibility coincided with the Groups of

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Brita ...

. 44 AA Brigade came under 4 AA Group, with its HQ at Preston, which covered NW England and N Wales and operated with No. 9 Group RAF. 4 AA Group's area was quiet throughout the following year, and in May 1943 4 AA Bde had to 'un-man' some of its VPs to provide LAA guns and crews to 5 AA Group in Eastern England, which was dealing with 'hit and run' raids by the ''Luftwaffe''. When in September 1943 AA Command was required to release manpower to 21st Army Group forming for the planned invasion of Normandy ( Operation Overlord), the group began to lose units by transfer and disbandment.Routledge, p. 409.44 AA Bde War Diary, 1943, TNA file WO 166/11218. On 14 January 1944, Brigadier Kane was transferred to command 45 AA Bde and was replaced by Brig J.W. Barker, TD.44 AA Bde War Diary, 1944, TNA file WO 166/14657.

Order of Battle 1942–44

During this period the brigade was composed as follows (temporary attachments omitted):Order of Battle of AA Command, 1 August 1943, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/84. * 149th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''to 6 AA Group June 1943'' ** 506, 507, 512, 581 (M) HAA Btys ** 376 (M) HAA Bty – ''attached from 131st HAA Rgt'' * 159th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''from 1 AA Group October 1943'' ** 542, 545, 563, 614 (M) HAA Btys * 167th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''from 1 AA Group September 1943'' ** 464, 562, 610, 639 (M) HAA Btys ** 639 (M) HAA Bty – ''disbanded January 1944'' * 169th (M) HAA Rgt – ''to 1 AA Group October 1943'' ** 566, 571, 576, 578 (M) HAA Btys ** 71 West Lancashire HG HAA Bty * 184th (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''from 33 AA Bde June, to 1 AA Group September 1943'' ** 616, 617, 625, 627 (M) HAA Btys * 88th LAA Rgt ** 178 LAA Bty ''attached to 5 AA Group May 1943'' ** 289, 293, 477 LAA Btys ** 449 LAA Bty – ''attached from 114th LAA Rgt April, to 5 AA Group May 1943'' Loading Z battery Merseyside 1942 IWM H 21135

* 13th AA 'Z' Rgt – ''became Mixed November 1942'' ** 108 'Z' Bty – ''manned by 105 West Lancashire HG'' ** 122 (M) 'Z' Bty – ''partly manned by 101 County of Lancaster HG'' ** 131 'Z' Bty – ''left by April 1943'' ** 184 'Z' Bty – ''left November 1942'' ** 188 'Z' Bty – ''joined November 1942; left January 1943'' ** 203 (M) 'Z' Bty – ''partly manned by 102 County of Lancaster HG'' ** 204 (M) 'Z' Bty – ''partly manned by 103 County of Lancaster HG'' ** 205 (M) 'Z' Bty – ''partly manned by 104 County of Lancaster HG'' ** 216 (M) 'Z' Bty – ''joined November 1942; partly manned by 105 County of Lancaster HG'' ** 226 'Z' Bty – ''manned by 104 West Lancashire HG'' * 44 AA Bde Mixed Signal Office, RCS – ''part of 2 Mixed Signal Company, 4 AA Group Mixed Signal Unit'' * 842 (Semi-Mobile) Smoke Company, Pioneer Corps (PC) * 4 Smoke Company,

Non-Combatant Corps The Non-Combatant Corps (NCC) was a corps of the British Army composed of conscientious objectors as privates, with NCOs and officers seconded from other corps or regiments. Its members fulfilled various non-combatant roles in the army during the ...

, PC * No 14 LAA Practice Camp – ''at

Nethertown Nethertown is a small village in Cumbria, England on the Irish Sea coast. The community is covered by the civil parish of "Lowside Quarter", and was created out of one of the old parochial townships of the parish of St Bees. History During W ...

, Egremont'' * 131, 132 Lancashire HG LAA Btys * B, C Lancashire HG Independent LAA Troops

Operations Overlord and Diver

In March 1944, 44 AA Bde HQ was moved from Manchester to take over the AA defences on the

. Here it came under the command of 6 AA Group, which had responsibility for covering the 'Overlord' embarkation ports around the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...

and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. The brigade established its HQ at 'Broadlands', Staplers Road, Newport, and took over command of 82nd (Essex) HAA Rgt and 151st LAA Rgt from 47 AA Bde and was soon reinforced. Additional LAA guns (mainly Bofors, with a few

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models em ...

) were sited singly at Yarmouth,

Shanklin Shanklin () is a seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake and Sandown. The sandy beach, its Old Village ...

Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of ...

and

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. ...

. Brigadier Vere Krohn, MC, TD, a former head of AA Command's technical branch, arrived from 43 AA Bde to take command on 2 May, and began redeploying the HAA sites and additional radar-controlled searchlights to tackle aircraft attempting to lay mines in the Solent. There were sporadic attacks, with 619/185, 182/136 and 438/136 HAA Btys submitting claims for 'kills' on 15, 16 and 23 May, but the ''Luftwaffe'' failed to disrupt the 'Overlord' preparations. A week after D-Day the long-awaited attacks on London by

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

s ('Divers') began. AA Command had prepared

Operation Diver Operation Diver was the British codename for countermeasures against the V-1 flying bomb campaign launched by the German in 1944 against London and other parts of Britain. Diver was the codename for the V-1, against which the defence consisted o ...

to counter these weapons, and AA guns were moved from all over the UK to strengthen 2 AA Group's 'Diver Belt' in South East England. 6 AA Group also deployed additional HAA batteries in the Solent–Portsmouth defences. The first V-1 appeared over the Isle of Wight on 26 June, and 44 AA Bde redeployed its LAA guns in an anti-Diver role, including twin Browning .50 Machine Guns from S/L sites in the west of the island. However, the V-1 launch sites in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

were quickly overrun, and few missiles were seen in the Solent–Portsmouth area. As 21st Army Group overran the main launch sites in the Pas-de-Calais, the ''Luftwaffe'' shifted its focus to air-launching V-1s over the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

during the autumn, and AA Command redeployed units from the South Coast to Eastern England in response.Routledge, pp. 410–8. 44 AA Brigade 'blacked out' its searchlights on 12 November apart from those required as homing beacons for friendly aircraft, and the crews were sent to provide construction parties for the gun sites in the new 'Diver Strip'. In early December it handed over its remaining commitments to 67 AA Bde, and Brigade HQ was disbanded on 31 December 1944.

Order of Battle 1944

The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H39806

During this period the composition of the brigade was as follows: * 12th HAA Rgt – ''base and port defence unit from 21st Army Group June 1944'' ** 4, 18, 360 HAA Btys * 82nd (Essex) HAA Rgt – ''to 3 AA Group May 1944'' ** 156, 228 (Edinburgh), 256 HAA Btys ** 193 HAA Bty – ''returned to 44 AA Bde area 28 June 1944'' * 136th HAA Rgt – ''from 1 AA Group May; to 2 AA Group Diver Belt 17 June 1944'' ** 182, 409, 432, 468 HAA Btys * 177th HAA Rgt – ''from 67 AA Bde May; disbanded June 1944'' ** 203, 598, 600 HAA Btys * 619 (M) HAA Bty – ''from 185th (M) HAA Rgt; to 5 AA Group 7 October 1944'' * 526 (M) HAA Bty – ''from 154th (M) HAA Rgt 6 October 1944'' * 151st LAA Rgt – ''to 1 AA Group 19–24 October 1944'' ** 449, 472, 478 LAA Btys * 52 LAA Bty – ''from 85th LAA Rgt summer; to 2 AA Group 2 September 1944'' * 277 LAA Bty – ''from 83rd LAA Rgt 24 October 1944'' * 53rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) S/L Rgt – ''from 2 AA Group May 1944'' ** 408, 409, 410 S/L Btys * 303 AA Gun Operations Room (AAGOR) * 506 AA Ground Control Interception (AAGCI) station * 44 AA Bde Signal Section By October 1944, the brigade's HQ establishment was 8 officers, 7 male other ranks and 22 members of the ATS, together with a small number of attached drivers, cooks and mess orderlies (male and female). In addition, the brigade had a Mixed Signal Office Section of 5 male other ranks and 19 ATS, which was formally part of the Group signal unit. The brigade was disbanded on 11 December 1944.

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, 44 AA Bde reformed at Salford, Greater Manchester as 70th AA Brigade (TA) (taking the number of a disbanded wartime formation from 4 AA Division) and forming part of 4 AA Group at

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

. It now comprised the following units:AA Bdes 67–102 at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> * 465th (Manchester) HAA Rgt – ''former 65th HAA Rgt as above'' * 556th (East Lancashire) HAA Rgt * 574th (The Lancashire Fusiliers) (Mixed) HAA Rgt at Salford – ''former 39th S/L Rgt as above'' * 606th (East Lancashire) (Mixed) HAA Rgt – ''former 71st S/L Rgt as above'' * 293rd (East Lancashire) LAA RgtLitchfield, p. 115. * 70 Fire Command Troop, RA ('Mixed' indicated that members of the

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992, except medical, dental and veterinary officers and cha ...

were integrated into the unit.) AA Command was disbanded in March 1955, and 70 AA Bde was placed in 'suspended animation' from 31 October that year. It was formally disbanded on 31 December 1957.

Commanders

* Brigadier Gerald Rickards, DSO, MC, appointed 22 October 1938 * Brigadier Erroll Tremlett, appointed 15 November 1940 * Brigadier R.E. Kane, OBE, MC, appointed 26 February 1942 * Brigadier J.W. Barker, TD , appointed 14 January 1944 * Brigadier Vere Krohn, MC, TD, appointed 2 May 1944 * Brigadier G.A. Appleton, OBE, by September 1944

Notes

References

* Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnd ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, .
Gen Sir Frederick Pile's despatch: "The Anti-Aircraft Defence of the United Kingdom from 28th July, 1939, to 15th April, 1945" ''London Gazette'' 18 December 1947
* Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, . * ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1984'', London: Queen Anne Press, 1984, .

External sources

Royal Artillery 1939–1945

British Military History

Orders of Battle at Patriot Files

British Army units from 1945 on

{{British anti-aircraft brigades of the Second World War Military units and formations established in 1938 Air defence brigades of the British Army Anti-Aircraft brigades of the British Army in World War II Military units and formations in Lancashire Military units and formations in Manchester